Real
by Aeris9919
Summary: Another little Robin introspective mixed with some StarRobin fluff. Guilt and regret overwhelm the Titan Leader and Starfire tries to her best to comfort him.


Yo! Here I am with another Robin one-shot. I hope none of you are getting sick of my little introspective on our dear Boy Wonder. What can I say? It's fun to get inside his head. This one's kind of short, and I'm not really sure where it came from, but I hope you like it. It takes place after "X" and yes, it's in Robin's POV.

Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own 'em.

Real

Regretful winds whipped through the night, setting a chilled encounter upon the darkened city. But it hardly made a difference to me, as I stood vigil upon a lone rooftop. Well-trained eyes followed a young woman, as she crossed from her car to an over-looming building nearby. I let out a tired sigh, leaning back to look at the sky. The sky spoke of a coming storm, heavy clouds breaking on the horizon. The more coherent part of me pushed to head back home, but I deftly ignored it, turning my attention to the thin piece of cloth trapped between my fingers. I could have let my grasp loosen, allowing my shield to fade away with the wind, but instead I held fast onto the piece of fabric that become my one identity. It was only by the cover of darkness that I seemed to sink back into myself, the enticing stars my one confident.

The tower had grown stifling over the past few days. It seemed the longer I stayed there, the harder it became to breath. But I concealed the feeling well, hiding any discomfort from my friends. This wasn't their battle to fight, these weren't their feelings to burden. It was usually in the subtle hour of midnight that I stole away, the others safely trapped beneath their dreams. But something changed tonight. Everything I had been trying to hold back came to a head, seizing my heart in an icy grip. Star had been the first to notice. Wasn't that always the case? Sometimes it felt like she knew me better than myself. Though in actuality, she knew nothing. None of them did, and they probably never would. The only sign of my hasty departure was a broken mirror; the shards long picked up by now, and no doubt by delicate, tan fingers.

She had followed me around all day, a question of worry ever constant in her eyes. Usually her presence was nothing short of comfort, but today I wanted to be alone. I wanted to _not _be Robin. I wanted to forget about being a Titan, about fighting crime, about all the regrets I've come to live with.

Regret.

How I've grown to despise that word. It seems as if lately, I've done nothing but live from regret to regret. Was my judgment so skewed that I could no longer see the line between right and wrong? Good and evil? It was such a thin line to begin with...how had I gone so far astray? I could see Bruce's face on the horizon, shaking in slow disappointment. He had taught me better than any of this, and I had thrown all of it to the side without a second thought.

And because of my mistake, someone else was now free to make bigger mistakes. I didn't want to dwell on how that suit had come into his possession. I didn't want to think about who was behind that mask. I just wanted him stopped. Not because he was thief, not because he was threat to the city, not even because he was threat to my friends. No, I wanted him behind bars to push this guilt off of my mind. It's selfish, I know, and I hated it.

The wind settled around me, and my body tensed. The strip of black was replaced, a reassuring veil.

"You are running from something."

Her voice floated from behind, soft as the coming rain. Without turning, I returned her challenge.

"You followed me."

"I am worried."

"What a shocker," I threw out, kicking at the edge of the roof top. I could hear her choke back a sob, but I ignored it. I had come up here to escape my problems, not confront them. Didn't she understand I was trying to protect her from all of this?

"If it is the Red X that you are concerned with, we will find hi-"

"That's not what I'm upset about!"

We both stopped short at my sudden outburst. That had been the first time I had spoken of my discomfort out loud. The two of us stood in the silent night, my eyes focused on the ground below, hers' on my back willing me to turn around. I couldn't. Not now. Not with my wall so thin. Breaking the silence was the sound of her footsteps inching closer. A hand touched my shoulder lightly, reluctant fear over taking her. Covering her hand with my own, I turned my eyes away hoping to avoid her expectant gaze. Feeling my hand upon her own, she moved closer, embracing me from behind, her free arm winding itself around my waist. Her breath tickled the back of my neck, her forehead pressed against my ebony locks. Softly she spoke, her words barely gracing my ears.

"I cannot understand your pain. I know that. But...if I could, I would gladly take your place."

God, how could she be so giving? I pulled her in front of me in one swift movement holding her close, conscience of the steep edge that I stood upon. Not bothering with words, I merely buried my face in her fire silk hair, inhaling her sweet scent. A much more enjoyable form of escape. She held back fiercely, a hand entangling itself in my own hair, the other griping my cape. I'm not sure how much time passed as we held onto each other. I just remember the sound of thunder, and a distant streak of lightening breaking our embrace.

We spoke nothing of my pain or of her worry. We didn't speak at all. We walked home in the rain, my arm fastened tightly around her waist, the rain clinging to her skin like crystals. I had to stop once or twice to admire her beauty, a shower of kisses would pour onto her neck as I pressed her against the side of a building. She smiled and kissed me back, brushing soaked ebony from my forehead. Once home, we changed and nestled down onto the couch, our hands entangled with one another. She was soon asleep, and not having the heart to move her, I too let my head drop in slumber. Perhaps tomorrow we would talk things over? Maybe I'd let Starfire help me through this regret. It really didn't matter to me at the current moment. What mattered was the one real thing that existed in my life. At that moment, she was lying in my arms, eyelids fluttering slightly with unanswered dreams. And I had no intention of letting her go anytime soon.

Fin

Not the best thing I've ever written, but I like it. Let me know what you think. Please Review!

(Look out for my newest project: Teen Titans, Les Mis style!!!!)


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